Belper's traditional Christmas Eve carol concert will be online this year. Information and a link to the online service that will be broadcasted live at 8pm can be found on the council's web site. CLICK HERE. 

We have uploaded a copy of the service sheet onto our website for you to use to help join in. CLICK HERE. 

To let school know of any children testing positive for COVID-19 over the Christmas holidays parents need to complete this form.

This form is no longer available to complete. 

Parents are able to complete this form at any time between 3.30pm on Friday 18th December to Sunday 3rd January. It can not be completed at any other time. 

We will then be able to use this information to contact any other families that will need to isolate due to contact with the positive case. Mr. Averis will be checking this form daily up to and including Christmas Eve as children that test positive on or before the 24th December may mean that other children and staff need to isolate. Children that test positive on or after Christmas day will not result in Mr. Averis having to contact other St. John's children asking them to isolate. 

The name of the child that has tested positive will not be shared with any member of our community.

We hope that any child that tests positive recovers quickly and safely.

This resource to parents will hopefully be helpful in keeping families safe over the Christmas holiday when many children may get new online toys and games. 

CLICK HERE. 

We have been asked to share this message by the local authority with all parents of children that have free school meals. St. John's contacted all these families on the 7th December to ensure that we have the correct contact details for the vouchers to be sent to. 

Please see the message below. 

If you are a family on a low income you could get food vouchers for your children over the Christmas period.

The money to pay for these vouchers has come from the government through its COVID-19 winter grant scheme which is over and above the other support schemes already provided by Derbyshire County Council. The family of every child who gets free school meals in Derbyshire schools because of low income can get a £30 food voucher for the Christmas holidays. You will get another voucher in February if you are still eligible, the amount will depend on the number of children who qualify at that time. Some other families are also eligible based on financial hardship.

You will receive vouchers if you meet one of the following criteria:

• Have a child aged 3 to 18 in a Derbyshire school (nursery to year 13), eligible for free school meals because of low household income.

• Have a child aged 3 or 4 not in a Derbyshire school nursery that receives free childcare and qualifies for 'pupil premium' based on low income (this is sometimes called 'economic funding').

• Have a child aged 2 that is eligible for free 2-year-old childcare because of low household income.

You do not need to do anything if your child already meets these criteria (see our website for full terms and conditions). We will contact you and you should receive a payment by email or text message that should arrive by 21 December 2020.

If you have children and you do not currently claim free school meals or means-tested free childcare you may still be eligible. For full details of the scheme or to see what help and support is available, please visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/winter 

Many thanks to our friends at Morrisons in Belper who have donated food parcels to every free school meal child at St. John's today. 

These parcels are available for children that have the following free school meals. 

• Yes - All children in year 3,4,5 and 6 that have a free school meal
• Yes - Children in reception, year 1 and year 2 that are in receipt of pupil premium funding for free school meals. 
• Sorry, this help from the local authority is not available for reception, year one and year two children that have a universal free school meal.

The food parcels can be collected

1) After school between 3.15pm and 3.40pm on Tuesday 15th December when they can be collected from the covered playground areas outside the old reception classroom.

or

2)  After school between 5.15pm and 5.45pm on Tuesday 15th December when they can be collected from the school hall.

The picture below shows the contents of one food parcel, please be aware that contents may vary slightly. These parcels are donations from Morrisons and are not part of the government's Christmas free school meal provision. 

We have had this message of thanks from the Padley centre for the donations that we sent to them in October. 

Dear Friends at St Johns Primary School & Nursery

HARVEST 2020

On behalf of everyone at Padley, I would like to thank you for your kind Harvest gift donation.

This contribution is invaluable in enabling us to continue delivering services to the most vulnerable in our society.  This donation will be used to support the delivery of our Day Centre, the only Day Centre in Derby providing:

• somewhere warm, dry and safe for vulnerable men and women;
• to use WC;
• have a shower;
• get a nutritious cheap (free if they have no income) meal;
• get a change of clothes or wash their own clothes;
• access a dentist; a podiatrist; a hairdresser; a CPN;
• potential housing providers;
• access drug and alcohol services and when ready;
• obtain the support needed to make positive life changes.

Since the Covid pandemic began we have continued to deliver our services throughout lock down, when:-

• We provided 2 x hot meals a day to 102 people accommodated in Emergency Hostels,
• We provided over 200 Toiletry parcels
• and over 40 clothing parcels

this enabled those people who have no roof to keep safe, stay indoors and protect the NHS, as we all did the same.

We continue to redistribute food to other food banks supporting the covid response and provided items from our stores to the Central Hub, to enable their support to the “Shielding“ group, that were not available in the shops. In addition, we have supported Women’s hostels and refuge’s with sanitary products and animal sanctuaries with pet food.

Without your kind generosity our services would be sadly depleted, with it you enable significant change to be achieved in the lives of people in genuine need.

With the kindest of regards and many thanks,

Sharon Bestwick

Administrator

Children throughout Derbyshire schools are invited to participate in the Travel Smart advent. 

Follow this link to find out more. CLICK HERE. 

You just need to send a picture of how your travelled to school in a smart sustainable way on foot or scooter using the hashtag - #ActiveTravelAdvent 

It would be great to see some St. John's pictures get chosen by the Travel Smart Team. 

We have unfortunately had another confirmed case of COVID-19 in our community. We have spoken to the person who has tested positive to wish them a speedy and safe recovery. 

Children in year 3 and year 6 have brought home a copy of a letter published on our website today. Parents of all children need to read it. CLICK HERE.

Throughout the day we have been working with the Local Authority and Public Health who have helped us ensure that we continue to follow procedures and guidelines to keep us all as safe as possible. 

Thank you for your continued support. 

Many thanks to all the children that have contributed to our Children in Need appeal. A huge and special thanks to all the children that have done a pocket money job to earn a  bit of money to donate to Children in Need.

All of these children are super stars. 

I hope that parents and carers have enjoyed a little bit of help around the home and then added a little contribution to our children in need on line appeal. 

If your children have done a few jobs to earn a bit of pocket money you are invited to CLICK HERE to donate some pocket money to Children in Need. Please do not donate money that hasn't been earned by a child, we really want the children to feel like they are doing something to help. Thank you. 

On Monday 16th November we begin our anti-bullying week at St. John's. During the week we will be promoting our anti-bullying programme and strategies, helping children recognise how harmful bullying can be and promoting what children need to do if they are getting bullied. 

We start the week with our annual odd socks day. Everyone will be encouraged to wear odd socks for the day to help us show how we can all be different but still work and play together happily and successfully.